Three Little Words
by The Frogness
Summary: How would life have gone without the Heartless? Would it have been as happy as it was before, or would things change? One child becomes two and two become three, and three words become harder to say. SK SR, happy and angstful. RR!


Warnings: Depending on you yourself, this fic can be taken anyway with the love angle. You might take it as slash in some parts, or just as friendship love. Seeing as I have my own theories on the relationships between these characters, I'm going to put them into use here. Sora loves them both, and they love Sora back, both as a friend and as something more. If you don't like it please don't read it, and if you read it don't complain because it has nothing that indicates anything more than friendship and nothing at all graphic.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Well, I do own it, but not the characters or anything. Just the plot.

**_Three Little Words_**

_I love you._

A mother says this to a child, stroking her newborn son as light spills across the horizon, finding a new face to cast its rays upon. Secret smiles are shared between the pair, loving words easy to read in their eyes.

_I love you._

Riku grins, and says it back.

Two little boys run across a beach, kicking up a cloud of sand as they chase each other. Their cheeks are pink from the sun, two voices laughing as they make up adventures for just the two of them.

_I love you._

Kairi smiles, a happy smile.

_I love you._

Riku laughs, and holds out a hand.

Three children sit on a small island, running in circles and playing pretend. One is a princess locked in a tower, and the other are two heroes, armed with play swords and slicing at imaginary foes to save their friend. Light fades in a myriad of colours across the sand and water, and fires are lit as night comes. Three children sit happily in a circle and plan a grand future together, laughing even as their parents row up and scold them.

_I love you._

Kairi blushes, giggling.

_I love you._

Riku nods, saying he knows.

Three children grow older, no longer children but not anything else yet. They laugh and smile a little bit less but still enough for them. They play their games a little bit less, and time watches games turn into competitions, different but still the same.

_I love you._

Kairi smiles, but sadly, even as you sit with her and talk to her on the paopu tree. She doesn't hear the words, but maybe its because you didn't say them.

_I love you._

Riku smirks and throws you a paopu; but he's not really listening, or perhaps you just didn't say the words loud enough.

Three not children sit on an island. There is no longer any laughter or games, just competitions. But everyone smiles like it is a game, and perhaps you just don't understand the rules enough to be having fun.

_I love you._

Kairi doesn't even look at you, and you know that things are different. You don't say the words because you cant open your mouth to speak, so instead she walks away.

_I love you. _

Riku shakes his head and yells at you, and you fight because it's simply what you do. You don't say the words because you forget what its like to say them, and so instead you throw punches.

Three teenagers no longer visit their island, and the sand is missing footprints and the sky is no longer full of voices. Nothing is the same and everything is different, but the island goes on without three people, just as it has always done.

_I love you._

Kairi is leaving, but you just nod and give her a quick hug, wishing her the best. You don't tell her the truth and instead say you'll miss her, but you wont really. Not this her.

_I love you. _

Riku has gone, and left you a note. Your hands shake as you read it because you know you wont ever see him again, and it doesn't really hurt as much as you thought it would.

Three people sit apart in their own world, no longer connected. During the day they continue to play pretend, pretend that they are where they wish to be and this is the way they want their life to go. When night comes they remember, and sometimes it is enough to make them laugh or cry, but it fades, and three people sleep apart, completely different but still the same.

_I love you._

A mother cries as the light fades, its rays seemingly fleeing from the room and this upturned face that will never again know its caresses. Two lids are pressed down over glassy eyes, the blue orbs staring into forever even as they are surrounded in darkness. Blood stains a pillow and a torn woman bandages her broken son, and the window is opened to release the lingering stench of a life now lost. Memories are slowly lost and a soul is freed upon the wind, emotions and words scattering across the ocean as they no longer become important.

_I love you._

Kairi wakes up from a messy bed, gasping and clawing at her face like she's suffocating. Memories press into her mind as she jumps from the bed and wakes the man next to her, and tears fall to her face as she runs to a balcony, staring down at the ocean with desperation. Her body shakes and her long red hair whips at her face, and she whispers words over and over in plea as she stares down at the ocean that calls to her invitingly.

_I love you._

Riku wakes, screaming. A silent room is all that welcomes him, no one there to soothe him and suppress the shivers as pain and guilt course through him. He stumbles through his room and cries aloud as memories are washed over him as though striking him, and he falls. He screams until his voice is harsh and he can no longer scream, so instead he runs from his room, runs from his house, runs to the rocky beach and runs straight into the water, silent words still bubbling across his lips as he submerges himself to the mercy of the water.

IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou-

Three children smile, but perhaps they aren't children anymore. It doesn't matter and they don't seem to care, standing apart from each other on a small island. The water casts reflections of light upon their sun kissed skin, colours twirling about as a warm wind embraces them. Two children are holding hands and smiling, folding into one as they hold out their free hands to you, welcoming.

_I love you, Sora._

_I love you, Sora._

Two voices that become the same call to you, and for the first time in a long time three children laugh and smile and everything is once again the way it is meant to be as two become three only to become one.

_I love you._

A/N: I hope people like this. Its my first fic in this fandom, and its kind of sad. This is a quick drabble of what life would have been like if Ansem and all that had never happened, and as you can see its not all that chipper. I have my own opinions about the pairings, but take it as you will. In case you didn't understand, this story was told in part I suppose from Sora's POV, as he was the one saying I love you over and over. Riku and Kairi left as they grew older and Sora killed himself, and then the other two also killed themselves, and they finally found what they had lost, in death, which was each other and the courage to say the most important words once more.

Please Review, and go and tell someone the truth. Tell someone you love them before its too late! TT


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